David Palumbo-Liu’s _Asian/American: Historical Crossingsof a Racial Frontier" identifies Asian tropes as a recurrentspecter in American constructions of race. This panelbuilds on Palumbo-Liu’s book to investigate trans-Pacificsites of cultural exchange between Japan and the UnitedStates. Papers may focus on hybrid figures (includingwriters, generals, presidents, or pop culture icons) orhistorical moments (including catastrophic events and moremundane moments of trade or cultural trends). We areinterested in how each national or “foreign” identitychanges meaning and focus in another cultural setting.